4 Common Myths About Estimators (and the truth behind them)

Whether you’re a cost estimator in construction and engineering, or an estimator in another industry, you’ve probably heard all the stereotypes. There are a lot of preconceptions about what estimators do, what their tendencies are, and what they are capable of. But it’s time we busted those common myths about estimators once and for all! Here are some common generalisations and the truths behind them.

Estimators aren’t creative

When telling people that you’re an estimator, the first thing they’re likely to do is comment on how you must be ‘good with numbers’, ‘left-brained’ or ‘very logical’. But how many times have you told someone you’re an estimator to hear them comment on your abilities to think laterally, solve problems and come up with new ideas? Not many, we bet. The common myth is that being an estimator is not as creative as other professions, but on this point, we beg to differ.

They love math

While it’s true that estimators need to be good at math to perform their job properly, loving something and being good at it are two entirely different things. Nevertheless, this fairly benign myth does tend to typecast all estimators as a certain class of person, and it does little to reflect the true diversity within the group. As working estimators will know, maths can sometimes be a very small part of the job, while things like managing people, projects and finances play a huge role.

Women can’t be estimators

There’s no doubt that female estimators for engineering are working in a male-dominated field. Not only are there more male construction professionals than female ones, there is also still a huge gender pay gap in the industry. That said, a lot of work is being done in Australia and abroad to close this gap, attract more women into the industry, and educate upper management on how organisations can be open and hospitable to new female employees.

They’re anti-social

‘Geek’, ‘nerd,’ ‘introvert’—you’ve probably heard them all. But being an estimator doesn’t necessarily equate to lacking social skills. In fact, estimator roles involve more cooperation, teamwork and gut instinct than the average person would expect. Therefore, estimators tend to have excellent people skills, as well as strengths in verbal and written communication. And we personally know plenty of estimators who are anything but shy!

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